10 Children’s Stories Guillermo Del Toro Needs to Adapt

Guillermo del Toro loves fairy tales and children’s stories. He also loves making them into movies. A lot. He has overseen films like Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians, and is in various stages of making/producing a live-action adaptation of the Disney Ride The Haunted Mansion, a stop-motion Pinocchio film, a new version of Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson, an animated movie based on the Day of the Dead, and another called Alma about a girl drawn to a strange toy store. Earlier this week, it was announced that del Toro will team with Beasts of the Southern Wild screenwriter Lucy Alibar on Universal’s adaptation of The Secret Garden.

What distinguishes del Toro films — including his own fairy tale, Pan’s Labyrinth – is his belief that children’s stories should “actually try and create a sense of darkness” to help children come to terms with the complexities of life. Which is why he keeps on making movies that are tinged with that kind of darkness. Since the filmmaker is obviously not busy enough, we’ve come up with a list of popular children’s stories and fairly tales that we think he should take on and either faithfully adapt or inject with his unique vision. Add to it in the comments!

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad Day

THE STORY: A young boy wakes up, and from that point everything that could possibly go wrong does. Otherwise known to adults as a Monday.

WHAT DEL TORO SHOULD DO WITH IT: Aside from “stay away from monsters with eyes in their hands and also fascists,” we’re pretty sure the message of Pan’s Labyrinth is that life can kind of brutally suck. Which is pretty much the message in Alexander. Sure, the kid’s problems are pretty mundane — annoying siblings, lima bean dinners, cavities — but del Toro could give it all a supernatural upgrade with greater stakes. How about: Alexander discovers that foul invisible goblins are working behind the scenes to make everything in his life go wrong, and he has to discover who sent them and why his day is being sabotaged.